Carton-closing machine.



F. J. HEYBAGH.

CARTON CLOSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION rmm JAN. 28,4909.

9 995,965. Patented June20,191 1.

6 BEETS-SHEET 1.

v I ii Q is O s s o O flWVZtO?! F. J. HEYBAGH. CARTON CLOSING MACHINE;

. APYLIOATION FILED JAILZB, 1909. 995,965. Patented June 20,1911.

763926 21353 I fizyeiziaif fl/f fiederziz Ji 1M7;

i j 5 ll yr I e fix-h A f l I r i F. J. HEYBAGH. CARTON CLOSING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILEDJAN. 2a, 1909.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented June 20, 1911.

F. J. HEYBAGH.

CARTON CLOSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 28, 1909.

995,965, 1 Patented June 20, 1911.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

F. .T. HEYBACH. CARTON CLOSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.28, 1909.

Patented June 20, 1911.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

upon one flap which enters an appropriate.

- using 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. FItEDIERIOK J. HEYBAOH, 0F SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN AUTOMATIC MACHINERY COMPANY, OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, A CORPORATION OF Be it known that I, FREDERICK J l-InY- EACH, a citizen of the United States, residin at Savannah, in the county of'Ghatham an -State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements; in Carton-Closing Machines, of which the following is a specification;

My present invention relates to improvements in machines-for closin cartons of the .class havin flaps which are oldable to close an end of t e carton and embodyingatongue slot in another flap to retain the carton" end in closed condition, and it hasfor its object primarily to provide an improved machine of this class which is capable of turning or folding the flaps and inserting the tongue into the slot automaticall and with cer-. taint f'wherebythe end 0 the carton will be e ectually closed without the necessity of aste in order to seal or secure the flaps, t e use of paste being objectionable inmany instances.

Another object of the invention is to-provide a machine of this character wherein the cartons after being filled bya suitable I veye to the-closing machine and are then positioned pre aratory to the closing operation which is to be performed thereon,

' the closing devices being set into operation automatically and at the appropriate time,

- the o eration of the folding machine being vices which serveto' operate upon the folded there y automatically controlled by the filling machine or by the means which transfers the filled cartons from the filling machine to the carton-closing machine, whereby both of the said machines may operate in predetermined relation.

Another object of the inventionis to pro-v mechanism are automatically con- Patented June 20, 1911.

GEORGIA. I

' CARTON-CLOSING MACHINE.

995,965. 4 Specification of Letters Patent,

. Application filed n'uar' as, 1909. Serial no. 474,723.

To all whom it concern: I

corners of certain of the flaps to insure a relatively sha corner or bend whereby the said flapsshal have a tendency to. remain in the pro er closed position and thereb prevent bu ging of the closed carton en also to rovide a closing machine ofthis class WhlCh may embody a plurality of'closing mechanisms whereb any desired number of cartons may be c osed' at each operation of the machine.

' To these and other ends, the invention consists-in certain improvements, and com binations and arrangements of parts,jall as will be hereinafter more fully described, the

novel features being pointed out particularly 7 in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawmgs: Figure 1- is a plan view of a carton-closing machine constructed 1n accordance with my present invention, the machme-being shown 1n cooperative relation with the means which con.

veys the cartons thereto; Fig. 2 represents an elevation of the upper end of the machine as shown in Fig. 1, the closing mechanism being shown ready to receive a carton preparatory to the closing thereof; Fig. 3 represents a vertical section of the closing machine taken on the line 3-'3 of Fig. 1,

the closing mechanism in this figure being also ready to receive the carton preparatory to the closing of its end He. s;'F1gs. 4 and .5

are'diagrammatic views 0 the flap-closing devices, these devices being shown in these figures in the positions they occu y at the moment the carton is introduce thereto; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an end of a carton showin the manner in. which the end flaps are c osed; Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the flap-closing mechanism, the

parts being shown inv the positions they occupy during the operation of inserting the retaining tongue into its slot while the side flaps are being closed; Fig. 8 represents a vertical section of the closing mechanism indicating the manner in which the slot for the tongue is opened and the tongue is entered into the slot; and Fig. 9 is a View similar to Fi 8 showing the position of the flap-closing evices at the moment the flaps are fully closed, this figure also showing the devices for operating upon the bent or creased corners of the outermost flaps.

Similar arts are designated by the same reference 0 aracters in the several views.

Gaston closing machines constructed in accor ance with my resent invention are capable of use genera y in performing the operation of closin the ends of cartons of the class having oldable flaps and more especially to the type wherein the flaps are retained in closed position b means of a tongue and slot, and it will e understood that Ihave shown in the accompanying drawing one specific embodiment only of the invention.'

While the form shown in the accompanying drawing has been found practical and satisfactory in its operation, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to this particular form, as certain changes in the construction or the relative arran ements of the arts may be made which changes or mo ifications will be included within the scope of the claims.

In the present instance, the machine is adapted to operateupon cartons of the general character illustrated in Figs. 4-9, inclusive, these cartons being usually formed of card-board blanks which are set up land 1 ing have one end closed previously to the of the material therem, the cartons comprising a body ortion a one end of which is provided wit a air of end flaps b and a pair of relatively onger lateral flaps c and d, the end fia s 6 being usually folded first and the lateral flaps are subsequently folded, the flap a being provided with a tongue 6 which is adapted to enter an a propriate slot 7 which is formed in the ap d, the tongue serving to retain the flaps in proper closed condition. The filled cartons are conducted to the closing machine in an appropriate manner, the flaps upon the upper open end thereof standing in an unfolded condition as shown in Fig. 4. These cartons are introduced into a suitable receiver 1 by means of a plunger or other appropriate positioning device 2, the closed end of the carton resting upon this plunger so that as the latter operates, it will carry the carton. into a position whereby the flaps upon its upper end may be appropriately closed. At the u per end of the receiver are mounted a pair of folding members 3 and 4 which are turnable with the su ortin shafts 5 and 6 and are adapted to fii d the ateral flaps c and d of the carton at the proper moment. The folding member 4; is rovided with a pair of spring fingers 7 w ich are arran ed at the rear side of the said members an their upper ends project forwardly or in advance of the member 4 so as to preliminarily engage the up 'er edge of the flap d and deflect it inward y or between the end flaps b in the manner shown in Fig. 4. .A pair of reciprocatory folding members 8 and 9 are mounted so as to engage the flaps b, the member 8 having referably a rounded flapengagina end whi e the member 9 has a bevd having been de eled edge 10 whereby the member 9 ma first engage the correspondingflap b towar that si e at which the flap d Is located. The positioning device 2 so operates as to carry the carton into such a position that the lines on which the flaps are to be folded will occup a plane slightly below the plane in which the fiap-foldingmembers 8 and 9 o erate, and the first operation is performed upon the carton by the members 8 and 9 which a proach one another in the directions in icated by the arrows in Fig. 5. When the flaps b are enga ed respectively by the members 8 and 9, t ey Wlll first be moved inwardly and also twisted slightly in the manner indicated in Fi 6 by reason of the flap ected inwardly, and as these members 8 and 9 continue to move inwardly, those edges of the fia s b which engage the adjacent edges of t e flap d will slip past the latter and will be folded down upon the material contained in the carton.

The folding member 9 also carries with it a pair of arms 11 and 12 which are arran ed at each side and above the portion whicli engages the corresponding flap b. The arm 11 is mounted in stationary relation upon the slide 13 which carries the folding member 9, while the arm 12 is attached to a crank arm 14 which has a pintle portion 15 which is journaled in bearings 16 carried by the said slide. The arm 12 when so mounted has a pivotal movement about an axis which is arallel to the line of movement of the fol in member 9. The arm 12 serves to open t e slot in the flap cl and it normally has a tendency to rise under the action of the spring 17 which acts on the crank 18 mounted upon the outer end of the shaft 15.

As the arms 11 and 12 move with the slide 13 carrying the flap-closing member 9, they will both move inwardly into the space between the lateral fia s a and (1 while the end flaps b are being olded. After the end flaps b have been folded, the closing members 3 and 4 will turn inwardly, the flaps 0 and at being thereby carried into engage:

ment with the arms 11 and 12 during which operation the arms 11 and 12 serve as supports over which the fia s c and d are bent. As the flap d is folded lnwardly, the inner end of the arm 12 will engage the said flap at the outer margin of the slot f, the arm 12 at this time being turned toward a vertical position. After the flaps c and d have been carried into engagement with the arms 11 and 12, a tongue-insertin member 19 is turned downwardl throu i the rotation of its supporting sha t 20, this member engaging the ton ue e on the flap 0 of the carton so as to de ect this tongue downwardly and the tongue-inserting member moves far enough to engage a portion of the flap d.

margin. of the slot therein, the

the flap d being thereby deat the inner said portion of Q movements in prssed so as to'open the slot for the entrance the final movement-of the member 19 whicli serves to open the tongue-receiving slot.

'1o After the tongue-receiving slot. has been npiened in themanner described, t he flap-v closing members 8 and!) -are retracted by the directions indicated by arrows in Fig. 7, and during the retracting movement of the slide l3- carrying the thrpfolding member 9, the arms 11 and 12 will also be withdrawn from beneath the partially closed flaps c-and d, and during the withdrawing'movement .of the arm 12, this arm will also receive a rotary movement owing to the action offthe-cam 21 upon the crank arm 14 supporting it, and this rotary J movement will turn the arm 12 so that it lies f more nearly in a horizontal plane. This rotary movement is given the arm 12 in order ',to avoid cuttingof thefiap d by the retracted, the folding members 3 and 4 continue to =Iiiove-inwardly and downwardly, and during the said movements of the members 3 and 4, the tongue-inserting member f 19 also continues to move downwardly and by these operations the tongue 2; is inserted into the slot of the cooperatingafiap while these two lateral flaps are being finally closed. Inorder to avoid bulging of the two flaps a last closed and in order-toassist the tongue in maintaining the flaps losed Condition,

a pair of creasing members 22'and 23 ,are

provided, these members-being mounted to rotate with correspondingishafts 24 and. 25 and the said members are provided with inturned edges or flaps 26'ran'd127, the creasing members being simultaneously movable into engagement with the sides;- of the carton adjacent to or immediately; jbelow the points where the lateral flaps nd (Z are bent.

The folding members 3 and-4 are also pro-* vided with ribs 28 and 29 which are arranged at their under sides and so positioned as to press upon the respective flaps adjacent to the lines on whic' these flaps are folded, the combined action of the saidribs and the creasing devicesserving to pinch or compress the folded corners formed between the-body of the carton and the flaps cfand (1 so as to produce a relatively sharp angle,- the tendency of the material thus treated acting.

to maintain the flaps in closed position and; thereby avoiding bulging of' the closed end of the cartons The construction of the creasing devices in clearly shown "in Fig. 9.. After the final operation, just 1 described has been performed upon the carton, theedge of the-arm;- Asth'e slide 13 is creasing devices are retracted and the positioning device 2 descends, and ordinarily, the filled and closed carton will remove itself by reason of, its weight, However, in order to insure 'a-positive removal of the closed carton from the closin mechanism, an ejector 30 maybe provide this ejector being so timed as to descend through openings provided-in the folding members 3 and 4 and to engage the top of the carton and thereby press it downwardly. In order to prevent interference of the tongue-inserting member 19 with the ejector, the latter is preferably rounded so as to clear the end of this member.- 7

Any suitable mechanism may be provided of the closin mechanism and, in the accompanying drawing, I have shown a machine having means for conveying the filled cartons thereto from a filling machine, devices for automatically positioning the carton and for effecting the various operations of the folding mechanism as well as means for conveying the filled and closed-cartons from the closing machine, and the operation of cally from the filling machine or the conveyer for transferring the filled cartons from the filling machine to the closing ma- Chine.

The complete machine is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 1t comprising a frame31 having a table 32 upon which the desired number of closing mechanisms are mounted. These closing mechanisms may all be of the same construction and a description of one of them will bessuflicient. The carton receivers 1 are mounted in vertical position upon the table 32 andeach carton-positioning device 2 is mounted a suitable distance below and in alinement with its 1 respective receiver. Each positioning device is provided with an operating and guiding rod; 33 which is connected to a common transversely extending bar 34. This bar is guidedjfor rectilinear movement by means of a pai r :of guide rods 35 which extend vertically of' the machine:

bearings.

34 cotiperates with theforked'end 36 of a crank-arm 37, the latter being-fixed to a transverse shaft 38 and serves as an operative connect-ion between th'etwo arms 37 which are mounted at ,oppojs' 'itefsides of the. machine, a pair of thesecjrank arms being provided to maintainthe'nrQss-bar'34 in a horizontal position during its rising and falling movements. The carton-positioning devices being operatively connected to the shaft 38 are operatedat appropriate intervals by means of an arm39 which ispivoted at one end to while the opposite end of the arm 39 is conthe 'clbsing machine-is controlled automatiframe and are. provided with appropriate Each end of the transverse bar for imparting the necessary movements in 1 properly tini d relation to the various parts k a brackete40' fixed to the machine frame 4 I ,eoapesM,

nected to thc crank 37 by means of a connecting rod 41. ,An intermediate portion of the arm 39 .coiiperates with a cam 42, the latter being mounted on a shaft 43 journaled in suitable bearings on the machine frame and is driven by gearin 44- from a main shaft 45." The latter shaft a driving wheel .46 which is loosely mounted thereon and is "adapted to be connected thereto at appropriate intervals by means of a clutch. A clutch of any appropriate construction may be: used, that shown in the present instance consisting of a pawl 47 which is pivotedon a part 48. fixed to the shaft 45 and is ada ted to engage one of a series of recesses 49 fbrmed in the hub of the driving -Whe'el. This clutch pawl normally has a tendency to establish a driving con-. nection between the shaft 45 and the Wheel 46, but it is detained at certain intervals by a'clutchrcontrolling arm 50, the latter being fixed toa vertical shaft 51 which is. journaled ina bearing 52 formed upon the ma'-' chine frame and is operated through the medium of a' projection 53 which is fixed to its lower end. The clutch-controlling arm is normally retained in such a position as to hold the clutch pawl 47 in an inactive 'positiori by a spring 54.

The shafts 5 and 6 supporting the lateralfolding members 3 .and 4 are journaled in appropriate bearing brackets 55 and 56 which may be secured to the upper side of the table 32 of the machine, and the outer ends of these shafts "are provided with cranks 57 and 58 having pins or rollers to coiiperate with a corresponding pair of operating arms 59 and 60, the latter being both secured in appropriate positions upon an actuating bar or member 61. The shafts 5 and 6 also have operative connections with the shafts 24 and 25 of the crimpingmemhers, a pair of gears 62 and 63 being shown 111 the presentinstancewhichlcotlperate with corresponding gears 64 and 65 arranged on the shafts 24 and 25 whereby rotation of the shafts 5 and 6 in a directio-nto carry the .closing members 3. and \4 inwardly and "downwardly will impart rotation in reverse directions to the shafts 24 and '25 which will bring the crimping members into operation inthe manner shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The shaft 20 carrying the tongueinserting member 19 is also approximately journaled upon the upper side of'the table 32 of themachine and. is provided at one end I with a crank 66 having a pin or rollerwhich coiiperates with an operating arm 67,;the latter being also securedatan appropriate point on the uating bar or member 61; The

arm' 67 "which 'coiiperates with the. crank 66 of the shaft 20 has one-side of its bifurcated end so formed as tqpermita lag or inter-- ruption in the. movement of the tongue-inserting member after-the tongue has been is provided with 7 fully inserted,'and the arm 60. which cooperates with thecrank 58"" upon the shaft 6 is similarly provided with, an ofiset 68 which produces a pause in the folding move- ,ments of the members 3 and 4 during which 70 "pause the arms 11 and 12 are retracted from beneath them. 1 The actuating member or bar 61 is guided to reciprocate in bearings '69 arrangedat' one side of the table portion of the machine, and this bar may serve as a common operating device for any number of folding mechanisms as may be mounted upon the machine. This bar maybe appropriately reciprocated in any suitable manner, it beingprovided in thepresent instancewith a heel 7 0 which is arranged to be actuated by a cam 71 whichiserves to move the bar in a direction to'per-form the closing operation upon the cartoni j', ,The heel 70 is arranged above the shaft 43' and, in order to effect the return movementeof the bar 61, the shaft 43 is providedwithifa returning cam 72 which codperates with ai shoulder or lug 73Vwhich is secured to the bar 61 and is arranged be- 9 neath the center of the'shaft 43. v I

The members 8'and 9 which serve to close 7 the end flaps off-the carton are simultaneously reciprocated in directions either to- Ward or from one another by means of :1 5 pair of crank arms 74"and 7 5.: These cranks are. pivoted upon the machine frame at -'76 and 77 respectively and the members 8 and 9 are provided with pins or rollers 78 and 7 9 which co6peraterespectively with the forked ends of said crank arms. In order to impart the requisite rotary movements to the crank arms inreversedirections, a. crossed connecting link 80 forms an operativejconnection between them. L

The ejector 30 is mounted upon a horizontal member 81 having its ends supported I by a pair of vertically movable rods 82 which are-suitably guided by brackets 83,

and each vertically movable rod is provided "with a lateral projection 84 which coiiperates with the forked end of an operating arm 85, the two operating arms 85 being fixed to a common actuating shaft 86 which is'jgurnaled in a bracket 87 secured atone side of the machine and this shaft has a crank arm 88 with which a spring 89 00- i operates, the function of this spring being to normally retain the ej'ectors in anele-' vated or inoperative osition. '86 is also-provided w th; an actuating arm' 90 whiehpsxed thereto and is normally arranged 1n tie path of an arm 91 vwhich rotates with the shaft 43 so that the ejectors" will'be actuated .once for each revolution of the shaft 43. i The crank arms 74' and 75 arelo'peratedat proper intervals by means of an actuating member or bar 92, the latter being moll nted in bearings93" and is preferably arranged f The shaft V coupon at that side of the machine opposite 'to the actuating bar 61. The actuating member or bar 92 is operated at appropriate intervals .to proximate the closing members 8 and 9by means of a cam 93 whichcoiiperates with a heel 94 fixed to the said bar, and the return movements of the latter are effected by means of a cam 95' which 00- operates with a stop or lug 96 which is also secured to the. bar 92, the two cams 93 and 95 being fixed to'the shaft 43., The bar 92 carries a forked operating arm 97 the bifurcated end of which cooperates with a roller or projection 98 carried by a portion of the crank arm 75.

Any appropriate means may be employed for conveying the filled cartons from a'suitable filling machine to the closing machine. In the present instance, a conveyer of'the endless ty e is shown, it consisting of a set of channe -shaped tracks 99 which extend from the filling machine to the closing machine and form channels along which the filled cartons are conducted. The number of tracks employed corresponds to the number of cartons which are to be filled and closed at each operation. The cartons are advanced along the respective tracks by means of cross members 100 which are connected to chains 101 which pass over sprocket wheels 102 mounted upon a common shaft 103, the cartons being conducted to the closing machine in rows suitably spaced one in advance of theother. The shaft 103 is arranged in immediate proximity to the plungers or carton-positioning devices 2, sufficient space being provided, however, to permit the passage of the cross members 100 as they reach the end of the conveyer and begin their return movement. The tracks 99 along which the cartons are conductedextend to points in immediate proximity to the carton-lifting devices 2 in order that the cartons may be transferred from the con veyer to the corresponding lifting devices.

The closing machine is preferably set into operation at appropriate intervals so as to close one or more cartons immediatel after the filling machine performs each filllng operation, and in the present instance, a controlling counection is provided between the closing machine and the filling machine through the medium of the conveyer which serves to transfer the filled cartons from the filling machine to the closing machine. For

this purpose, the conveyor shaft 103 is provided with a pair of arms 104 which-are arranged to alternately engage the heel 53 and.

thereby release the clutch member 47 to set the closing machine into operation each time the conveyer advances a set of filled cartons thereto.

In order to facilitate the removal of the filled and closed cartons from the closing machine, a belt conveyer 105* ispreferably provided, this conveyer in the present instance having ar movemen't transverse to the direction of movement of the conveyer which supplies the cartons to the machine, and the closed cartons are transferred to this conveyer from the positioning devices 2 after the cartons. have con closed and lowered by the engagement of the next cartons to be filled engaging therewith.

The operation of the machine is as follows: Assuming that the cartons are supplied to an appro riate filling machine in such a formthat t eir bottom ends will be closed and that thecartons will stand vertically with the flaps at their u per ends in open condition, predetermine charges of material are deposited into the cartons by the filling machine, the latter performing the filling operation at predetermined intervals. After the cartons have been filled, the conveyer which transfers the filled cartons from the filling machine to the closing machine is set into operation and it removes the filled carton from the filling machine and advances it one step toward the closing machine, each carton belng acted on by the respective cross member 100 of the conveyer. After the conveyer has operated a predetermined number of times, each carton will successivel reach the closing machine, the foremost fille carton upon the conveyer being transferred to the positioning dev1ces 2 as shown in Fig. 3. At the moment a carton is positioned beneath the receiver of the closing machine, one of the arms 104 on the shaft 103 of the conveyer will strike the heel 53 upon the shaft 51, thereby causing the latter to rotate sufficiently to carry the clutch-controlling arm 50 thereon out of engagement with the clutch member 47. As the latter is springoperated so as to have a normal tendency to engage the notched clutch face 49 upon the driving wheel 46 and as the latter rotates continuously, the clutch member 47 will establish an operative connection between the driving wheel 46 and the shaft 45, and the latter operating through the gearing 44 will impart a rotary movement to. the' shaft 43. The first operation to take place is the elevating or positioning of the carton preparatory to the closing of the flaps thereon, and this elevating or positioning operation is performed by the cam 42 which acts on the rods are connected to the cross member 34,

lifting movements of the crank arms 37 will cause the positioning devices 2 to move upwardlv thereby carrying the upperopen end of each carton into its respective receiver in such a manner as to position the flaps thereon in such a position to be correctly operated carried by the crank arm 75 .will cause the latter to rotate'in a direction that will carry the slide 13 inwardly. As the crank arm 75 is also connected to the crank arm 74 b the 4 crossed link 80, the closing member 8 W111 be simultaneously moved inwardly. The carton during the simultaneous inward move ments of the folding members 8 and 9 will be so positioned in the receiver that the flaps b thereon will be engaged by these members.

The simultaneous inward movement of the 'foldin members 8 and 9 will continue until these aps have been fully closed or folded downwardly upon the material contained in v the carton, and after the completion of the inward movement of said members, the cam 71 will begin to act on the heel 70 carried by the actuatin bar 61, the latter then moving toward the eft as shown in Fig. 2. The forked arms 59 and carried by the bar 61 will then act upon the cranks 57 and 58 which are fixed upon the shafts 5 and 6. The bar 61 will thereby serve to simultaneously turn the lateral foldin members 3 and 4 downwardly and inward carrying the lateral flaps c and d of-the carton into corresponding positions. The forked arm 67 on the bar 61 also acts upon the crank 66 which .is attached to the shaft 20 and during the closing movements of the members 3 and 4, the tongue-inserting member 19 will also be turned downwardly in the direction indicated in Fig. 7. The flap d of the carton is thereby carried into engagement with the upper side of the slot opening arm 12, the

latter engaging the flap 03 adjacent to one edge of the slot and the tongue-inserting member 19 will move downwardly until it engages the fiap d at the opposite side of the slot and pressin downwardlyupon the flap will open the sot in the manner shown in Fig. 8. This tongue-inserting member also presses downwardly upon the tongue e, causmg it to be deflected or curved downwardly in alinement with the opened slot, the flap a carrying the tongue being bent over the arm 11. a

A continued rotation of the shaft 43 will bring the cam 93 into engagement with the heel or projection 94 on the bar 92, the movement of the latter being thereby rewith the crank arm 14 supporting the said members 3 and 4 will carry the fia s c and. d 7

into fully folded position, and uring the final folding of the flaps 0 and d, the tongue e upon the flap a will enter the slot 7 of the flap (2. During the final closing of the flaps, the creasing members 22 and 23 which are operatively connected to the shafts of the folding members 3 and 4 will reach such a position as to bring the flaps 26 and 27 thereon into engagement with the opposite sides of the carton at points immediately ad jacent to the lines upon which the fia s a and d are folded, and as the ribs 28'and 29 of the folding members 3 and 4 at this time bear uponthe upper side of the flaps c and 1 d, the corners of the carton will bepinched 99 or otherwise acted u on to produce a tendency that will reta n the flaps 0 and d which are last folded in closed position, bulging of the closed end of the carton being thereby avoided.

p A continued movement of the shaft 43 will bring the cam 72 into engagement with the lug=or shoulder 73 on the bar 61, the latter being thereby retracted to cause the folding mechanism to resume its initial condition, and at the moment the folding mechanism is restored, the cam 42 will permit a lowering movement of the arm 39, the carton-positioning devices 2 being thereby permitted to lower and remove the filled and closed carton from the closing mechanism. In order to insure a. ositive removal of the closed carton from t e-closing mechanism, the ejector previously described may be used, the arm or projection 91 on the shaft 43 striking the actuating arm on the shaft 86 and thereby causing the ejector 30 to be depressed. This ejector, as previously stated, passes through appropriate apertures formed in the closing members 3 and 4 and is arranged to coiiperate with the top or folded end of the carton and thereby push it downwardly through its receiver. The operation of the ejector is momentary only, and it is returned to its elevated or inoperative position by means of the spring 89.

The clutch employed between the driving wheel 46 and the shaft 45 is of the one revolution type, and when the member 47 thereof reaches a point where its end engages the controlling arm 50, it will be retracted automatically so as to disconnect the shaft 45 from the wheel 46 to interrupt'the operation of the foldin machine until the heel 53- is again engage by one of the arms 104 on the versed to cause a simultaneous withdrawal of the closing members 8 and 9. During the withdrawal of the slide 13, a turning movement is imparted to the arm 12 about 65 the shaft 15 as an axis, thismovement being efiected by the engagement of the cam 21 arms 104 and the heel 53 being only momentar Xfter each carton has been removed from. I the folding mechanism, it will rest in the position indicated in Fig. 8' or, in other words, its bottom is substantially on the same level with the surface of the transversely-moving belt .105. The next advancingmovement of the conveyer which trans- ,fers the filled cartons from the filling machine to the closin machine will bring the foremost carton t ereon into engagementwith thecarton resting .beneath the closing machine and which has 'been closed, and as the rear carton assumes its proper position upon the positioning device 2, preparatory to the folding operation, it will displacethe carton'which has been already closed, this closed carton being thereby transferred to the belt 105 and the latter serves'to convey the carton to any suitable point for packing or other purposes.

A carton closing machine constructed in accordance with my invention is capable of v closing carton flaps with certainty and uniformity, and it embodies'means' whereby a tongue or equivalent device on one flap ma be automatically inserted into a correspon ing slot or openin in another flap and ,without liability 0% tearing or otherwise damagin or weakening any part of the carton, t e use of paste which obviously would be objectionable in the handling of powdery substances, being thereby avoided. Moreover, the construction of the machine is such that the closing of the flaps may be 7 performed rapidly, and the arrangement 1s such that any desired number of closing de-. vices may be embodied in the same machine. As the closing machine is set into operation automatically by the shaft 103 which is driven by the sprocket 105 thereon, and the said sprocket is operated by the filling machine, it is obvious that the closing machine is controlled by the filling machine,-a proper timing of the movements of the closing and filling machines being thereby insured.

I claim as my invention:

1. A carton closing device involving a slot opening finger to engage the under side of a slotted flap, and a tongue-inserting device cooperative with said finger to open the slot in the slotted flap and adapted to engage the tongue on another flap to introduce such tonguein the opened slot.

2. A carton closing device involving means to engage the under side of a slotted flap to support it,and a device to coiiperate with'said means to open the slot in said flap and also cooperative with a tongue on another fiap to introduce said tongue into the slot.

3. A carton closing device involving a slot opening finger to engage the under side of a slotted flap, and a tongue-inserting device arranged 1n cooperative relation with said finger and operative to insert the tongue on another flap in the said opening slot, said. finger and tongue-inserting device being capable of moving simultaneously in the direction of the closing movement of the flaps.

4. The combination of means for supporting a carton with slotted and tongued flaps in open position, a slot 0 ening finger to engage the under side of t e slotted flap, a tongue-inserting devicearranged in cooperative relation with said finger and forming a guide to insure the insertionof the tongue into said opened slot, and means for simultaneously moving said finger and tongueinsertin device toward the body of said carton uring the closing of said flaps and while the tongue on one flap is entered in the opened slot of the other flap.

5. A carton closing mechanism involving opposed inwardly movable flap-closing means, a device to engage a tongue on one flap to aline with a slot in an opposed flap, and means to engage beneath and cooperative with said device to open the slot in the opposed fiap, said device being movable in a direction to carry said tongue into the slot.

6. A carton closing mechanism comprising means for closing. a pair of flaps, a device operative to insert a tongue on one flap into a slot in an opposed flap, means arranged to enga e beneath and support the slotted flap an also cooperative with said device to open such slot, and mechanism for operating said-device and means during the closing of the flapsby said flap-closing 7 means.

7. Acarton closing device embodying a pair of opposed and pivoted flap-closing members, devices pivotally mounted to swing in parallelism with said flap-closing members and operative to first open a slot in one flap and to subsequently introduce a tongue on an opposed flap into the opened slot, and operating means for moving said devices relatively to each other and to the flap-closing members.

8. A-carton closing device comprising a pair of opposed pivoted flap-closing members, an arm pivoted to swing in parallelism with said fiap-closingmembers and having means for positioning it as a support heneath a slotted flap, and a tongue-inserting device pivoted in opposed relation to said arm and cooperative with'said arm to open a slot in the slotted flap and to introduce a tongue on another flap.

9. A carton closing device comprising a pair of opposed pivoted flap-closing members, an arm pivoted to swing in parallelism -with the flap-closing members and also reneath such flap, and a pivoted tongue-in- Serting device coiiperat-ive with said arm to open the slot in the slotted. flap and const-ituting a guide to introduce a tongue on an opposed flap into said slot.

' 10. A carton closin device comprising means for closing a pair of flaps,'a pair of fingers positioned to form supports over which the said flaps are folded, one of said fingers serving to open a slot on one of the flaps, and a tongue-inserting member operable to bend the other flap over its respective finger and to introduce a tongue there'- on into the opened slot of the cooperating fia ii. A carton closing device means for closing a pair of fla s, a pair of fingers adapted to engage beneat the respective flaps during the closing thereof, one of said fingers serving'to open a slot in its respective flap, a tongue-inserting member cooperative with a tongue upon the other flap for directing such tongue into the opened slot in the cooperating fla said fingers adapted to be withdrawn befiire the closing of saidflaps is completed.

12. A carton closing mechanism c0mprising means for closing a pair of flaps, a reciprocable finger movable into a position to engage beneath one of said flaps to serve as a support adjacent to a slot therein, a tongue-insertin member arranged to bear upon the slotted flap to open the slot therein and introduce a tongue upon the cooperating flap, and means for imparting a turning movement to the said finger while the latter is being withdrawn and preparatory to the final closing of the flaps.

13. A carton closing mechanism comprising means for carrying a pair of flaps into closed position, a finger mounted to move into a position beneath a slot-ted flap to serve as a support therefor, and a pivoted member coiiperative with said finger to open the slot in the slotted flap and also operative upon a tongue on one of said flaps and movable about its pivot in a direction to carry Eaid tongue into the slot in the cooperating 14. A carton closing mechanism comprising a pair of reciprocatory members operative to close a pair of end flaps on a carton, a pair of pivoted flap closing members ar-' ranged to cooperate with a pair of lateral flaps on the carton .to completely close them after the closing members first mentioned have been withdrawn, and devices movable in advance of the closing members for the lateral flaps for inserting a tongue on one of the lateral flaps into a slot in the opposed lateral flap.

15. A carton closin mechanism comprising a pair of oppositely reciprocable closing members, one of the latter carrying a finger, a second pair of closing members one comprising a flap into engageof which serves to carry a tongue-inserting mentwith said finger, member also cooperative with said finger to open a slot in the flap engaging-it and a apted to engage a tongue on the cooperating fiap to introduce such tongue into the opened slot.

16. A carton closing mechanism comprisa pair of flap folding cooperative relation of the carton immediately-adjacent to the said corner thereof and cooperative with said flap closing means while the latter is in closed position, whereby the said corner of the carton will be pinched and the adjacent flapwill have a tendency to remain in closed position.

18. A carton closing mechanism comprising opposed flap closing members, and a pair of o positely arranged pivoted devices having e ges which are active upon the body of the carton immediately adjacent to and at one side of each corner, said devices being movable toward the respective corners of the carton and cotiperative with the flap closing members while the latter are in closed position, wherebysuch corner will be compressed and the flas will have a tendency to remain in close position.

19. A carton closin mechanism comprising a pair of opposite y pivoted flap closing members having portions to bear upon the closed flaps at points adjacent to the lines on which they are folded, and devices cooperative with the folding members while the latter are in closed position to pinch said corners after the closing of the flaps has been completed.

20. A carton closing machine comprising a chambered carton receiver havin a cartonreceiving opening at one end, ap-closing devices arranged at the opposite end of the receiver and including opposed fingers, and means for introducing a carton into the chamber of said receiver by a movement of the carton toward the flap-closing devices, said fingers of the flap-closing devices being operative during such movement of the carton to effect preliminary closing of the flaps.

21. A carton closing machine comprising a chambered carton receiver, a pair of opposed pivoted flap-closing members mounted in cooperative relation with one end of the receiver, means for moving said members length of the receiver to close the flaps upon a carton, an ejector, and means for operating it tofengage the closed end of the carton while the flap-closing members are in closed position whereby the carton is ejected from the receiver.

22. A carton closing machine comprising a carton I'GCGIVGI' having an opening at one end to receive the cartons, means for introvduclng a carton into thejr'eceiver, andflapclosing mechanism mounted ,at' the opposite end of the receiver, such mechanism embody-' .ing fingers operative upon lateral flaps of the carton during its introduction into the receiver. to produce preliminary closin movement of such flaps, .a pair of opposed reciprocatory members operative upon the end flaps of the carton to close them, a pair of opposed pivoted members operative to close the lateral flaps upon the carton, and an ejector having means ;for operating it to engage the closed end of the carton while the pivoted members are in,closed position.

23. A carton closing mechanism comprising a carton receiver, means for introducing a carton into the same, a pair of ivoted flap closing members cooperative with the receiver, and an ejector arranged to operate upon the closed end of the cartonwhile the said members are in closed position whereby 1 the .closed carton is removed from the re- 24. A carton closing mechanism comprismg a chambered carton receiver, means operative tointroduce a carton into the chamher of the same, a. pair of reciprocatory members arranged'to operate upon a pair of flaps on the carton to close the same, a pair of members arranged to subsequently operate upon a second pair of flaps on the carton to close them, and means operative upon the closed end of the carton while said flap closing members are in closed position, for removing the closed 'carton fromthe receiver.

25. The combination of a carton closing machine embodying a chambered carton'i'eceiver having an entrance for the-cartons at one end, flap-closing devices arranged at the opposite end of the receiver, a conveyer for conducting cartons tothe closing ma chine, an elevator reciprocable in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the conveyer and operative to transfer the cartons successively from the conveyer to the receiver and its closing mechanism, and means controlled by the conveyer for auto matically setting the'elevator into operation.

26. The combination of a carton closing machine embodying a chambered-carton receiver having an entrance for the carton at its lower end, flap-closing devices-arranged at the upper end of the receiver, a vertically reciprocatory elevator movable in alinement with the openingin the receiver and operative to introduce cartons thereto, a conveyer for advancin cartons successively to the elevator, and means operative automatically by the conveyer for setting the elevatorand flap-closing devices into operation.

27. The combination of a carton closin machine embodying a vertically arranged chambered, carton receiver, flap closing devices cooperative with such receiver, a conveyer for conducting cartons to the closing machinega vertically movable transferring 'member arranged to receive the cartons from the conveyer and operative to introduce such cartons into the receiver, and a controlling connection between the conveyer and "closing machine for setting the flap closing devices into operation after a carton has been inserted into the receiver.

28. The combination of a carton closin machme embodying a vertically arrange chambered recelver, carton closin devlces cooperative with the upper end t ereof, a conveyer for conductin filled cartons to the closing machine, a vertically movable carton transferring member driven by the closing machine and operative to receive the filled cartons from the conveyer and introduce them into the lower end of the receiver, and a driving clutch for the closing machine controlled by the conveyer.

' In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses. Y

FREDERICK J. HEYBACH.

*Witnesses: V

BLANGHE Pnqn'rrr, KATIE M. Coon, 

